Cat with one short antanae

[GBMonarch]

I have a healthy little cat who has one short front antanae and one long one. I can't imagine what happened to it, but will it be able to thrive as a butterfly with this condition? I don't really know what the antanae do, and I was hoping when he shed his skin he might new ones, but so far he's still has the short little one and the big long one.

Has anyone experienced this? Any advice?

Thanks

18 healthy butterflies raised and released so far!

[MILW]

I'm not certain about the location, but most of the adult head structures come from imaginal discs down near the caterpillars mouthpart. The larval "antenna" are way up on the thoracic segments, not near to where the wing imaginal discs are located (low on the sides of the thoracic segments).

So, I'd predict the adult will probably be just fine!

-Scott

[GBMonarch]

Scott,

Thanks for the correct spelling. So, you're saying that the butterfly has it's own antenna and doesn't keep the larval antenna? I hope so. I read elsewhere on the web that butterflies with one antenna have trouble with direction whle flying or fly in circles. Any advice will be much appreciated.


Working on #19, he or she will be coming out today!

[MILW]

Sorry, I didn't notice the spelling! I put it in quotes because the things on the caterpillars aren't really proper antenna, and aren't related to the adults antenna- so your butterfly should fly just fine! And you're right, an adult with only one antenna would probably fly in circles trying to find that delicious smelling flower!

cheers- Scott

(ps post a pic if you can!)

[Stripe]

I once had a caterpillar with a short front filament and a deep cut across its head. It behaved exactly like its "sibling" caterpillar eating, shedding, making its silk button, J hooking, forming a chrysalis and emerging as a butterly within 1/2 of the other one. But, once everything was said and done, it was missing a hind wing and could not fly. It looked perfect in every other way. I was amazed that it was so able to go through all the stages exactly like its companion, but then was deformed in the end. It didn't even have difficulting shedding its skin, but with each molt, it still had a missing filament and a deep cut.

[psi_chemie]

That is amazing. I think there are certain parts on the larva that if damaged result in malformed corresponding parts in the adult. I remember reading about 'histoblasts' or something- groupings of cells in the larvae that are seeds for parts of the adult. Perhaps the cut / missing antenna was the histoblast for the right rear wing. Very interesting.

[MILW]

Yes, that would be the same as the imaginal discs. I think they are called histoblast nests by some people. If I remember right, the discs create the adult wings, legs, antennae and eyes; the nests are smaller and create different sections of the exoskeleton. If a bird or something took a nip out of a small cat and removed the disc, there would be nothing left to make the adult part.